The $15 Minimum Wage Movement Is Winning, And That's Bad News For Cashiers

The $15 minimum wage movement is winning. State and cities across America are racing to hike the minimum wage towards the elusive $15-mark—with 18 states and 20 cities to hike the minimum wage by January 1st.

On the surface, that’s good news for those who earn the minimum wage, like cashiers, secretaries, and mall clerks. A higher minimum wage means a higher monthly and yearly pay-check—closer to the "living wage" of $15.

The trouble with these minimum wage hikes is that theydisconnect pay from performance, turning business enterprises into welfare agencies.

But unlike government run welfare agencies, business enterprises do not have tax payers to pay the bills. This means that they must find other ways to cope with minimum wage hikes like the substituting of workers with automation equipment and artificial intelligence software.

That’s especially the case for shopping malls and other retailers that have been under pressure from competition from on-line retailers; and restaurant owners who have been facing soaring rents and all sorts of labor regulations.

In fact, Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot and the like have been experimenting with self-checkout counters, while McDonald’s, Panera Bread and other franchise outlets are using order kiosks in the place of conventional order takers.

That's a trend that is expected to accelerate, as America is moving towards a $15 minimum wage, completely eliminating the need for cashiers.